Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

US markets cracked sharply last Friday, and experts are aiming to discover what happened.  Job market slumps, economic uncertainty and growing tariff tensions have been highlighted as key factors behind the drop. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! A pair of Aussie comedians have taken a satirical look at the annoying aspects of the workplace in their book 'Wankernomics'. Are we guilty of using annoying phrases and spending too much time on LinkedIn. Donald Trump surprised New Zealand with a 15 percent tariff last week - do we stand a chance at negotiating a better deal?  The Government is set to scrap NCEA and overhaul the whole educational system - what do we make of this? Were these changes needed?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis Energy and the three other big power generators have signed agreements to establish a strategic energy reserve centred on Genesis’ Huntly Power Station. The deals - aimed at supporting national security of power supply - have been settled by Genesis, Meridian Energy, Mercury NZ and Contact Energy. The parties intend for the agreements to take effect from January 1, 2026. Genesis Energy chief executive Malcolm Johns says there's a clear case to keep the plant going - and Genesis couldn't do it on its own.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister reckons New Zealand will eventually be able to work out a better deal with the Trump administration following last week's shock announcement. President Donald Trump has unveiled a surprise 15 percent tariff on New Zealand - higher than that for both the UK and Australia.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis says there's a possibility things could improve, given the changing trading relationship between both nations. "The question for us is - if it does change, does that mean we get better treatment?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 4 August 2025, Education Minister Erica Stanford explains why she's scrapping NCEA and how our school kids will be assessed in the future. Former top cop Jevon McSkimming appeared in the Wellington High Court today after being charged with possession of objectionable material. Herald Investigations Journalist Jared Savage tells Heather he allegedly had child exploitation and bestiality content on his devices. Can we really negotiate a better trade deal after the US slapped us with a surprise 15% tariff? Finance Minister Nicola Willis is hopeful. From "circling back", to cringe LinkedIn posts - two comedians have come up with the guide to mastering the corporate world and its "office wankery". Plus, the Huddle responds to the big changes to the NCEA regime and Trish and Josie confess to using some office jargon. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can't accuse Erica Stanford of mucking around, can you? NCEA is gone. Marks out of 100 are back, grades from A to E are back, needing to pass 4 subjects at least in order to get the qualification is back. Now, how long have we been talking about the need to do this? About the fact that NCEA is rubbish, that it's been gamed, that it's not respected by employers, that it's not understood by parents? How long have we talked about this?  And then within 18 months of Erica Stanford taking over the education portfolio, the changes are made.  This is absolutely, by the way, the right thing to do. Nowhere, in none of the assessments of what's happening at NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3, do you hear anyone say - hey, you know what, this is a good system. It's always criticism. The ERA had a look at NCEA Level 1 last year and they found such big problems with that they recommended getting rid of it. NZQA last year found only half of year 12 students actually finished 3 full subjects. They didn't even get to do 3 full subjects, but they somehow managed to pass NCEA. NZCER found that learning was not the focus of school at NCEA level anymore, assessment was. The OECD two years ago found what we always know is going on lately and our ability to read, write and do maths was slipping. It had now fallen below the OECD average. The NZQA Insights paper found a huge number of kids got Level 3 because it's easy, but UE, the old equivalent, they couldn't get it because it's not easy.  Now, none of this is news to us, right? Some of these reports actually date back to 2018, 7 years ago. Yet NCEA hasn't been scrapped until now. Now, this is brave, because any change this big is brave, but especially, it's brave right now at a time when secondary school teachers are already dealing with a lot. They have a curriculum refresh on the go. They've got new compulsory exams already now, they've got this. They are busy and they're about to get busier. And while I feel for them, and I do, our kids are too important and their education is too important to muck around. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

White-collar workers will be familiar with workplace annoyances - including unnecessary meetings, corporate acronyms and an overuse of LinkedIn - and it's all been observed by a pair of Aussie comedians. The duo put modern workplace culture under the microscope in their book - 'Wankernomics'. Co-author James Schloeffel says he's spent a long time in the corporate world and he's used this book to discuss the issues he's observed over the years. "But I think, also, it's a way for other people to have that therapy session too. It is quite cathartic, I think, reading this book." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has claimed it's 'unlikely' that New Zealand will be able to make Trump change his mind about the tariffs - and many experts agree with that sentiment. Trump recently raised New Zealand's tariff rate to 15 percent, while keeping Australia and the UK at 10 percent. Trade Minister Todd McClay will head to Washington in the coming weeks to argue our case, but Felicity Roxburgh from the International Business Forum agrees Trump is unlikely to budge. "We do believe it's still worth making an attempt to go and talk to them. The other thing to remember is that we have supported, more or less, the Government's approach." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's proposing to entirely phase out NCEA within five years - saying New Zealand needs a schooling system that sets students up for success. It wants to scrap NCEA over the next five years, in favour of a literacy and numeracy test in year 11 - and certificates the next two years. Education Minister Erica Stanford says it's worth creating something New Zealand can stand behind, rather than leaning on systems like the Cambridge Exams.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming might have struggled to hold on to his suppression order. He faces eight charges of possessing objectionable material containing child exploitation and bestiality.  A gag order lapsed today.  NZ Herald investigative reporter Jared Savage revealed major media companies had joined to oppose the order continuing. "Given the significant public interest in this, I think it would have been very hard for a judge to maintain the status quo." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.